Biz-ee

BUSY (biz-ee) : actively and attentively engaged in work or a passtime: she is busy with her work .

If I have said I've been busy in the past, that busy was nothing compared to the busy I am now.

I'm spending every spare minute I have in my studio at The Pea Green Boat making Betty Jo goodies. And I actually made a Pea Green Boat brooch for a customer.

All of the clocks from last week have been delivered to their new homes, and the next big clock delivery is taking shape.

I will also be preparing for the Finders Keepers market in October, so that pretty much means I'm flat out .
Tomorrow I'm off on a bit of a Lino rescuing mission. Robyn from Focus on Art put me onto her Mum who has several layers of retro lino in her house she is happy for me to claim.
The lovely twist is that Robyn makes cool owls from recycled stuff too. There is a little story about her work over on Find, Make, Do at the moment.

Wings and Things

I've been making a lot of things with wings lately.
A little bird told me there was an over abundance of birdie themed decor and wearables at Life in Style (trade show) this year. But while people are still loving the bird motif , I'll keep making them.
And to repeat what I said ages ago.......................
"I'm not sure if I am totally over Birds, they HAVE been a staple of my range for many years. But, like all popular imagery, they do have their use by date.

I guess I owe a lot to our feathered friends....thanks for the inspiration!"

Hints of Spring

A little while ago a big chunky envelope arrived full of these colourful vintage buckles. Oooh lala....Perfect for Betty Jo goodies!

Thanks to Jo from Violet and Rose for passing them along to me. As you can see they have come in handy already.

These Aunt Mabel's handbag brooches and Grandma's favorite Teacup brooch are giving me cravings for pretty vintage frocks, Spring tea parties and bunches of daisies and fragrant roses.
Although it is only one week till spring, I'm still draping wet washing around the house to dry, thinking twice about a chilly morning walk with the dog (and piking out every time), and hitting the sack with socks and a hottie.
The Finders Keepers August gift guide will give you hints of spring with floral toned printed and patterned loveliness.

Thanks to Kelly from Made by White for including my Aunt Mabel's handbag in her top 6 picks for August. Sitting happily with goodies from some of my favorite designers!1. “You’re all sorts of lovely” card by Able and Game

2. Aunt Mabel’s handbag brooch by Betty Jo
3. Ribbons cushion by pony rider
4. Calico tote by Blink Designs
5. Kewpie doll studs by Liana Kabel
6. Rainbow diary cover by Scotatto

Make Craft Your Business

Have you been faffing around, meaning to get your crafty business happening?
Some crafty women from the Thornbury Women's Neighbourhood House community are running a series of Saturday seminars for emerging craft makers interested in starting up their own craft business.
The course will be facilitated by local women who've taken the leap and made craft their business.
For dates and booking info look on the Made'n'Thornbury blog.

I have just featured one of the facilitators - Ann Marie from Map 29 over at Find, Make Do.
Her personalised map purses and unique foxy loxy fabric purses are certainly a business success story.
There will be a session run by me (aka Betty Jo) as well. I will be focusing on the marketing of your products and strategies to get them noticed.
So for some preparation, here's a bit of product promotion.

Betty Jo "Time Will Tell" clocks available on Big Cartel.

Crafty Mugs

I'm a sucker for mug. And I'm a sucker for a bit of opshopping. Today I combined the two and scored myself a stack of mugs. Look at them all nestled cosily in their box

Yes they really do stack!

Piggy was winking at me cheekily, so he had to come home with me too.
Does this mean I'll have to bake to fill his barrel?

Update: Mr. BJ had a very negative reaction to the pig, reinforcing my decision to relocate him to my studio and fill his barrel with random "stuff" ( thus no baking will be required)

And I think it's high time I gave a big heads up to busy mum and zine creator Justine from Mixtape. As well as putting together a brilliant read with her craft zine Mixtape, she has been a great supporter of Betty Jo Designs and all us crafty mugs in Melbourne town and beyond!
I have my current issue right here and I'm going to read it with an Earl grey and a malt-o-milk or two! Enjoy......

Hanging Out

I've been hanging out in my studio alot . Making things like mad. As I don't have proper storage for my clocks, I thought where better to store them than hanging on the wall.

I just need a few more nails.

And for your information.....................
*The window installation "The Timeless Teaparty" is still in situ at The Curious Oyster Shoppe in High St. Thornbury. Customers who visit and mention Lino Forest get 10% discount on all Betty Jo jewellery for sale. Ends on the 26th.
*There's a $50 gift voucher up for grabs if you send me a pic. of you and your Betty Jo Designs clock or jewellery. See here for details.
*There's free shipping for all Betty Jo goodies on etsy. Just convo me that you read it on Lino Forest.

Words

Today I was inundated with words. Useful, crafty, funny, serious, cute and business like words.
I was front row at the Craft and Design as a Career seminar run by Craft Victoria and heard a diverse line up of speakers including Jo from Frankie magazine, Lucy from The Designs Files and Mr. Lowenstein the accountant who spoke about the dreaded word in arts circles T-A-X. (ooh, I get all knotty when I think about doing this years tax stuff).
Stephen Banham from Letterbox spoke all about branding, font and logo design and the power of words in the visual recognition of your business.
I like words a lot, but they must be relevant and meaningful,

sweet and edible,

crafty and wearable,
or colourful and cheeky.

The word of my day was L-O-V-E (much nicer than tax) and here it is in pics.
top-Awesomely yummy Belgian chocolate bar bought last night at Chair 14. Apparently some people keep them on their desks as a decoration....what, that's not possible! It was eaten in less than 24 hours.
middle- Betty Jo Love brooch I wore today on my hat.
bottom- image from Frankie blog I found today . I'm liking the font, colours and sentiment.

Studio Yays!

I'm loving going to my new studio everyday to work. I have no distractions (except going to the communal kitchen to boil the jug for tea) thus I can get heaps done between school drop off and pick up.
And I can't hear the basket of washing or the vacume cleaner silently chastising me for ignoring them.

I found out today my business plan was approved, so I am finally getting some financial assistance to help Betty Jo in Moving Forward. Yes, I am referencing Ms. Gillard because she is ultimately the one funding me, and I'd like her to continue to do so ....thank you very much.

I have dozens of clocks to make, and here is the first of many I'll be shipping out in the coming months.

Day of Thanks

Today I want to give thanks.
Because these last six months have been some of the busiest, craziest and most demanding months we've had at the Betty Jo ranch for a long time.
So thank you to the people who read and follow Lino Forest ( and thanks for the feedback too). Sorry I haven't always replied to your messages or comments.
I really appreciate that you stop by sometimes to check out the blog. It's like a big link to the rest of the crafty universe for me and I love the connections I've made with like minded people.Big thanks goes to the fantastic shops that I supply. And to those that understand that small businesses like mine NEED to have a regular cash flow. So thanks for helping me avoid all the time wasting and heart ache of chasing up payments (believe me, in the past it has sometimes been like getting blood from a stone.)Thanks also to the people that have sent me lino and laminex, or found some and let me know about it.
I sometimes need to put my request for old lino "out there", and the blog has helped me link up with lots of generous lino donations.
Which brings me to another call out. On Friday I had one of those "WHOA" moments with a rather substantial bit of business coming my way. But I will need loads of colourful lino. So if any one comes across some in a junk shop or in a skip or hard rubbish collection, please drop me a line and let me know. I will happily reimburse you for your time and effort.
Finally I want to thank the forces that pulled me into Savers today. I walked out a bit poorer , but all the more richer in green buttons and embroidered table cloths. Because you can't have too many of either!

Curious Oyster

Here's some night time window action at the Curious Oyster Shoppe.

All the clocks are for sale, although I think bluish owly has been baggsed.
If you mention Lino Forest when you visit Curious Oyster you can get a 10% on all Betty Jo jewellery for sale.

Childhood is Timeless

There's some Betty Jo lino creations now on display in the lovely, ornate Curious Oyster Shoppe window at 776 High St. Thornbury this month. Curious Oyster is run by the delightful Annliese, and it's chock a block with locally made goodies. Annaliese says "I handpick each item that sells in my lil shoppe. The criteria is that they are all eco in some way: organically made; sustainable; recycled or upcycled. But being green is not enough! Our goodies are GORGEOUS, fun and sometimes a little bit quirky!"
The installation is a satellite event of Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed festival .The 2010 festival theme of ‘childhood’ is intended to inspire people of all ages, especially the young at heart!
If you mention you read about the Timeless Teaparty on Lino Forest you will get 10% discount on all Betty Jo Jewellery for sale at Curious Oyster from the 5th-26th August!
These very fleeting iPhone pictures will soon be replaced by "proper camera" photos. Or you could swing by and have a look in person. And step inside to check out the wares at Curious Oyster at the same time. There's a great cafe nearby called Northern Soul. You’ll find them on High St.at number 843.... look out for the owl on the window!

Global Cool

This Flying Finch Clock and Cuckoo Clock popped up on the Global Cool website on Saturday. Global Cool is a green lifestyle organisation that inspires people to think differently, live differently, and shows us how to live a greener life without sacrificing the things we enjoy.

This cuckoo clock was the very first one I ever made, and I have a bit of a soft spot for it. Luckily it's living with a lovely reader. It's so great when I actually meet the people who are taking my clocks and jewellery home.
If you are one of these people or maybe someone I haven't met but you do own a Betty Jo clock or jewellery, send in a pic. of you or a loved one with the piece and you will go into the draw to win a $50 Betty Jo gift voucher. Details here.

No need to find a photobooth......a quick pic. from your phone will do!